The Center for
Cartoon Studies (CCS)
Students travel from across the U.S. and around the world to study comics at CCS in a diverse and vibrant community in Vermont.
Click here learn more about our programs.
Do you have burning questions about CCS’s MFA and certificate programs but aren’t able to make it to one of our admissions events? Drop us a line at outreach@cartoonstudies.org and we can set up a 1-on-1 video chat session to answer any of your questions about the curriculum, the application process, student housing, financial aid, living in Vermont, or anything else you need to know about applying to CCS!
The twelfth annual Cartoonist Studio Prize is presented by The Center for Cartoon Studies and The Beat. Each year, the Cartoonist Studio Prize is awarded to work that exemplifies excellence in cartooning. The creators of two exceptional comics for this year will be awarded $1,000 each. The winners were selected by The Beat and The Schulz Library staff at The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS).
The winner in the Best Long-Form Comic category is The Great Beyond by Léa Murawiec by Léa Murawiec. The Great Beyond was translated by Aleshia Jensen and published by Drawn and Quarterly in October 2023.
The winner in the Best Short-Form Comic category is 10-10 to the Wind by Cole Degenstein by Cole Degenstein. 10-10 to the Wind was published in September 2023 by Fieldmouse Press.
Congratulations to both winners of the 2024 Cartoonist Studio Prize! Learn more about the winning selections over at The Beat.
Exciting news! You can now pre-order THE ART OF CRYING by CCS alum, visual artist, and educator, Pepita Sandwich ‘19, and Hatchette Books.
“A book that I’ve been researching and working on for the past 3 years… I’m already crying tears of joy.”
The brilliantly researched and illustrated book officially hits bookstores on April 30, 2024. More from Hachette Books: “In The Art of Crying, Pepita Sandwich makes the case that crying is humanity’s most misunderstood and magical special effect. We are the only animals who shed tears as a result of the emotions we feel. But crying is not our weakness: it’s our superpower. Our tears are a path to growth and healing that leads to deeper and more fulfilling experiences.”
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The CCS community is happy to announce recent graduate Juniper Kim ‘23, was awarded the prestigious Fulbright Award! Juniper will be pursuing a graphic novel project in Seoul, Korea, with her grant.
“While living in Seoul—a vibrant center of all kinds of arts and culture, and the place in which my family has roots—I will attempt to answer important questions about identity, art, and culture…” said Juniper.
The project’s current title is Gyopo’s Ballad. Juniper describes the work-in-progress as a “fictional graphic novel describing a Korean-born American-raised woman’s experience living in Korea for the first time since her emigration as a toddler. Sang, who is researching the Korean folk music revival, arrives in Seoul eager to reconnect with her roots; however, she also struggles to feel at home in her ‘home country’ and define herself somewhere in between being Korean and being American.”
Congratulations to the Class of 2024! An exhibit featuring work by the graduating class is on display at the CCS Gallery. The gallery is located at 94 South Main Street, in downtown White River Junction, in the Colodny building. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 12 noon to 4 pm. The Thesis Exhibition will be on display and open to the public from May 8th to May 31st.
The Commencement Speaker for the class of 2024 is Ngozi Ukazu. Ngozi is a New York Times-bestselling cartoonist, a DC Comics artist, and the creator of the award-winning graphic novel Check, Please!, BUNT, and has a forthcoming graphic novel FLIP. Check, Please! began as a popular webcomic, noted as the highest funded project in Kickstarters history. The series won numerous awards including the Reuben and the William Morris Award. Check Please has also been translated into multiple languages. Since 2020 her cartoons have also appeared in The New Yorker. She graduated from Yale University with a degree in Computing and The Arts, and later received a master’s in sequential arts and comics. Commencement will be held on Monday, May 6th, at 12 noon at Northern Stage’s The Barrette Center for the Arts in White River Junction.
Safer Spaces is a 208-page new collection of stories about isolation, memory, liminal spaces, and small magic from up-and-coming author Kit Anderson with Avery Hill Publishing. From road trips to doctors’ offices to the mysterious spaces under the house, Kit Anderson’s short stories explore the secrets and magic typically unseen in everyday life. A walk through the forest, a family move, a day in a normal life – Anderson’s depictions of these ordinary moments transform them with a double-take, revealing the strangeness, surreality, and transformation within. Order a copy!
“An incredibly paced horror story that’s equal parts sardonic, gruesome, and tender. A Jeanne Dielman for the Instagram generation.” —Katie Skelly
“Chicago cartoonist and educator Beth Hetland’s graphic novel debut is a brilliant psychological thriller that tears down the wall of a genre — body horror — so often identified with male creators. Heady and visceral, Tender uses horrific tropes to confront women’s societal expectations of self-sacrifice despite those traditional roles often coming at the expense of female sexuality and empowerment.” —Fantagraphics
Congratulations to Beth Hetland ‘11 on the release of her graphic psychological thriller debut, TENDER, by Fantagraphics!
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The much-awaited graphic biography of world-renowned artist Ruth Asawa by Sam Nakahira ‘21 who was bestowed the privilege of documenting and sharing the life of such an amazing human being. RUTH ASAWA: AN ARTIST TAKES SHAPE released on March 20 by Getty Publications and ABRAMS Kids!
“This graphic biography by Sam Nakahira, developed in consultation with Asawa’s younger daughter, Addie Lanier, chronicles the genesis of Asawa as an artist—from the horror of Pearl Harbor to her transformative education at Black Mountain College to building her life in San Francisco, where she would further develop and refine her groundbreaking sculpture.” —Getty Publications
“Nakahira chronicles the young adult years of acclaimed Japanese American artist Ruth Asawa (1926–2013) in this illuminating graphic novel debut.” —Publishers Weekly
A free self-directed eCourse to improve your cartooning skills. Online, Start Anytime!
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CCS wants your old comics! These comics and many more were donated to support CCS's BIPOC Cartoonist Fund. If you're interested in making a comic book or cash donation drop us a line.
Cartooning In An Anxious Age (pdf) is a free comic by Cara Bean on the act of drawing, which focuses your attention and intimately connects you with the generative act of creation. It’s an inspiring read.
Created for middle and high school students, Let’s Talk About It: A Graphic Guide To Mental Health is a lively and educational comic book that destigmatizes the conversation around mental health.
Using the power of comics to teach teens about the way our government works This Is What Democracy Looks Like, A Graphic Guide To Governance is a 32-page comic book created by The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS). This short comic guide helps to bring democracy back to the hands of the people by explaining what democracy actually means and how the whole thing works. This guide will be a great jumping-off point to learn about our government.
Download a free copy of The World is Made of Cheese, The Applied Cartooning Manifesto.
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